Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Think Tank Tuesday 7/30/13: Can The Mindset of America Be Changed?

There's no question that racism in America is alive and well. There are some who would have you to believe that racism died out years ago, or that it does exist but it's so insignificant that it hardly affects anyone.

Those individuals are obviously oblivious to what's going on in this country. It always seems that people who aren't affected by something or are out of touch with an issue always seem to have an opinion and that opinion always states how things aren't so bad. That's like a man telling a woman that giving birth doesn't hurt. Having never experienced any aspect of giving birth, where would they be getting their information? The same is true with racism. Where are the people who aren't affected by racism getting their information? (I have an idea and it involves their backside.)

Consider this, in this country there are many whites whose only interaction with non-whites is in the workplace or in passing. With no close non-white friends and no non-white friends at all, where do they get their understanding of these people? The media? Books? Perhaps word of mouth from their friends? Stereotypes? You can see where I'm going with this. When you don't step outside your comfort zone to investigate other cultures you can only rely on what you're told which is always laced with someone's bias and runs the risk of being inaccurate information.

As a youth I've had the pleasure of experiencing first hand various cultures, which allowed me to form my own opinions and dispel many of the myths and stereotypes I've come across over the years; and as a result I have friends -- close friends from all walks of life.

So the Think Tank question for today is very simple, can the mindset of America be changed, or is it a lost cause?

Here's a glimmer of hope in the form of a positive video by Youtube user Chris Beasley: